<Anchor>

A 16-year prison sentence has been confirmed for Reverend Jae-rok Lee, who is accused of sexually assaulting believers.

I'm Ahn Sang-woo.

<Reporter>

The Supreme Court, part 3 of the Supreme Court, confirmed a 16-year jail sentence for Rev. Jaerock Lee, a member of the Manmin Central Holiness Church, charged with ruling rape.

The pastor was arrested in May last year for alleged sexual assault on nine women in the Church over the years.

The prosecution says the pastor, as a large church leader, used his position and power to make the victims psychologically irresistible and then committed sex crimes.

The first judge convicted him and sentenced him to 15 years of imprisonment, saying, "This pastor has exploited the situation of victims who regarded themselves as divine beings and could not resist or reject the instructions."

The second trial pleaded guilty to one extra offense for a one-year innocence, and sentenced to 16 years in prison.

The pastor appealed to the Supreme Court, saying, "It is hard for believers to accuse themselves of organizational disregard and to be in a state of irresistibility." It was impossible to resist, "he said.